Australia Questions Four AI Firms Over Child Safety Concerns

Home Australia Australia Questions Four AI Firms Over Child Safety Concerns Australia has one of the world's strictest internet regulation regimes. Australia has asked four artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot companies to explain how they keep...

Australia's institutions are rare, valuable and worth defending

The 2025 Boyer Lectures will be broadcast on ABC Radio National and ABC News Channel on Sundays from October 19. When I proposed the title for this talk to the ABC, I was worried about pushback. Fortunately, they were enthusiastic, suggesting only...

Shaping Australia’s Measurement System

Dept of Industry, Science and Resources Measurement is the foundation that gives us confidence in the world around us. As Australia’s trusted measurement authority, the NMI ensures that buyers and sellers get what they pay for when transacting...

Swiss Re pauses new business in Australia to review TPD products

Swiss Re Life & Health Australia has halted new business activities in Australia from October 2025 as part of efforts to drive sustainable product design, particularly in Total Permanent Disability (TPD) insurance. The reinsurance firm announced...

Australian biosecurity needs a whole-of government, whole-of-society approach

On 20 May, 2025, the Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) formally adopted the first Pandemic Agreement. In the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agreement aims to boost prevention, preparedness and response against pandemic...

UN expert warns PFAS contamination poses health threat in Okinawa, elsewhere

A UN expert has expressed concerns about PFAS contamination at US bases in southwestern Japan's Okinawa Prefecture and elsewhere. He said it poses a threat to human health. Marcos Orellana, the UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights,...

Class action filed over rates of sexual violence in the Australian Defence Force

Women who allege widespread and systemic sexual abuse, harassment, discrimination and victimisation during their employment within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) are taking part in a class action in an unprecedented legal step against the...

'Huge bubble of hot air' across northern Australia as heatwave persists

Large parts of northern Australia will swelter through severe heatwave conditions this weekend, with warnings for people to stay indoors amid fears of a spike in heat-related illnesses. "We are seeing a huge bubble of hot air just lingering," the...

Australia to send ADF liaison officer to join US-led Gaza peace taskforce

An official from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) will be sent to Israel as part of a US-led mission to support stabilisation efforts in Gaza, the defence department has confirmed. The ADF officer will be based at the Civil Military Coordination...

Multidisciplinary allied health sees improved outcomes

Allied health is critical to healthy ageing, and Dr Alice Pashley’s latest research into multidisciplinary, reablement-focused models of care found aged care residents participating in the REABLE trial experienced greater strength, confidence and...

Paedophile childcare worker who sexually abused four-year-old boy in Australia set to be deported back to Pakistan

A former childcare worker has been sentenced to two years in prison after he indecently touched a four-year-old boy under his care. Muhammad Ali, 31, was jailed again by the ACT Supreme Court after a jury found him guilty of touching the boy's...

'Can spread easily': Fears deadly bird flu has reached Australian territory

Scientists have detected signs that the deadly H5 bird flu strain may have reached one of Australia's sub-Antarctic islands, heightening fears the fast-spreading disease could reach Australian shores. In recent days, scientists with the Australian...

ASX Quarterly Health Wrap: Lumos lands US$317m deal as ReNerve and Vitrafy hit key milestones

Lumos is off to a strong start for FY26, inking a lucrative distribution deal for FebriDx during Q1. Pic: Getty Images Lumos inks US distribution deal valued up to US$317 million in Q1 FY26 for its point-of-care test FebriDx to distinguish between...

Inconsistent population figures could drive misallocation of health resources

Australia’s doctor attendance rates may not be what they seem. Researchers warn population data gaps could be distorting national health planning. (Image: Adobe) An Australian study has suggested that the way we measure population health may be...

Australian Labor government appeases financial elite on superannuation tax

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government performed a revealing backflip last week on its election promises to increase the low tax level, from 15 percent to 30 percent, on earnings from assets worth more than $3 million held in superannuation...

Australia’s AG says biometric driver’s licence verification system operational in weeks

A new face biometrics service for verifying driver’s licences is set to roll out across Australia by the end of the year, beginning with Western Australia. The Attorney-General’s Department plans to make the National Driver Licence Facial...

Euphoria Retreat – a wellness haven for travellers

Euphoria Retreat, nestled in the mythical Peloponnese, is a wellness haven for travellers seeking transformation beyond the turquoise postcard scenes of the Greek Islands. Greece has always pulled Australians with the force of myth. From the cafés...

Movers & Shakers: Australia’s first female national security chief

Mr Shearer goes to Japan, NZ boots visiting justice, cyber ambassador appointed, infrastructure leaders join NZ agencies. Senior Executive Service Band 2 Brian Schumacher has been promoted to first assistant secretary for digital transformation...

Is your mattress quietly ruining your sleep?

A mattress that takes ageing seriously The Ergoflex® 5G memory foam mattress isn’t just another bed-in-a-box. It’s Australia’s leading orthopaedic memory foam mattress, specifically designed to support spinal alignment, ease pressure on joints,...

'Can spread easily': Fears deadly bird flu has reached Australian territory

Scientists have detected signs the deadly H5 bird flu strain may have reached one of Australia's sub-Antarctic islands, raising fears it could spread to Australia, with the agriculture minister saying the country is "as prepared as we can be" for...